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Roosevelt Island Tramway
}} The Roosevelt Island Tramway is an aerial tramway in New York City that spans the East River and connects to . It is the only commuter aerial tramway in North America. It was out of service for about four and a half months after an incident on April 18, 2006, in which the operating mechanism lost power, stranding both cabins, one above the river, the other above midtown Manhattan. The tram reopened on September 1, 2006. Over 26 million passengers have used the tram since it began operation in 1976. Each cabin has a capacity of up to 125 people and makes approximately 115 trips per day. The tram moves at about 16 miles per hour (28 km/h) and travels 3,100 feet (1 km) in 4.5 minutes. At its peak it climbs to 250 feet (76 m) above the East River as it follows its route on the north side of the Queensboro Bridge. Two cabins make the run at fifteen minute intervals from 6:00 a.m. to 2:30 a.m. (3:30 a.m. on weekends) and continuously during rush hours. The tram is operated by Interfac on behalf of the Roosevelt Island Operating Corporation of the State of New York (RIOC). RIOC is a state public benefit corporation created in 1984 to run services on the island. History Historically Roosevelt Island was connected to Manhattan by a trolley line that crossed over the Queensboro Bridge. Trolleys to and from Queens stopped in the middle of the bridge to meet an elevator, which then took passengers down to the island. As the only connection to the rest of the city from the island, the trolley remained in service until 1957, long after most other trolley service had been dismantled in the city, and was the last trolley line in State. At that time a bridge to Queens was completed, requiring a roundabout trip to reach Manhattan. Beginning in the mid-1970's, Roosevelt Island was redeveloped to accommodate low- to mid-income s, necessitating the construction of a new public transit connection to the city. The trolley tracks had deteriorated too much to be usable and the planned subway connection to the island (the IND 63rd Street Line) had not yet been completed. The tramway was built in 1976 by the Swiss company as a temporary transportation solution to the island.. As the subway project fell further behind schedule, the "Tram" became more popular and was converted into a permanent facility. The subway connection to the island was finally completed in 1989. The tram was the last holdout for the use of tokens in the New York City transit system. Although tokens were phased out in favor of the MetroCard on subways and buses by 2003, the tram would not start accepting MetroCards until March 1, 2004. The fare is the same as that on the subways, US $2.00 for a one way trip. During the 2005 New York Transit Strike, the Tramway was one of the few intra-city public transportation systems still in operation. On April 18, 2006, at about 5:22 p.m EDT, two trams were stuck over the for seven hours because of mechanical problems, trapping 69 people. Rescue baskets capable of holding up to 15 people were sent up to the stranded cable cars at 10:55 p.m., with children and elderly going first, and each rescue taking about 20 minutes. These baskets also carried supplies to the trams, such as blankets, baby formula, and food, for the remaining passengers. Passengers on the Roosevelt Island-bound tram were rescued by about 2:55 a.m. on April 19, while those on the Manhattan-bound tram were not rescued until 4:07 a.m. The April 2006 incident was the second time in eight months the Tram system lost power. On September 2, 2005, more than 80 people were trapped on the tram for over 90 minutes. After that incident, state inspectors cited the Roosevelt Island Tramway for not having an operational diesel backup system, called an MG Set System. The State Department of Labor said the system did not pass electrical inspection and could not run when the April 18 power outage took place. The Tramway suspended operations after the April 2006 incident, re-opening on September 1, 2006. The Tram's backup electrical systems were refurbished, and "in case of an emergency, each car now is equipped with blankets, water, food and a toilet with a privacy curtain. Car attendants will carry cell phones with their radios." Accessibility and transfers The tram is . Bicycles are permitted on the tram as well. In Manhattan, the closest New York City Subway station is the complex at Lexington Avenue–59th Street ( ) on the BMT Broadway Line and 59th Street ( ) on the IRT Lexington Avenue Line. Lexington Avenue–53rd Street ( ) on the IND Queens Boulevard Line and Lexington Avenue–63rd Street ( ) on the IND 63rd Street Line are also nearby. On the island, the Roosevelt Island "Red Bus" meets the Tram and offers transportation around the island for 25 cents. Media References The tramway was featured prominently in climatic battle in the 2002 film Spider-Man. The Spider-Man film was not the first appearance of the tramway; the Sylvester Stallone thriller (1981) depicted the tramway as a terrorist target where United Nations delegates were taken hostage. It was used in the opening credits of (1991). It also appeared in the 2005 horror movie Dark Water. In the Kingdom Come, the climactic battle of Volume 1 takes place on and around a similar system in downtown Metropolis. The tram also figured prominently in the theme park attraction "Kongfrontation," which opened in 1990 but was removed in 2002. The ride consisted of passengers boarding a recreation of a Roosevelt Island tram where they promptly came face-to-face with . The recreation did take certain (necessary) liberties with regard to accuracy—the real trams, for example, do not have seats (though they do have benches at either end). See also *Transportation in New York City *Aerial tramway * External links *Official web site *NY City Subway entry on the tram *Technical data about the ropeway